DC/RWBY #3 Review

DC/RWBY #3 is published by DC Comics and written by Marguerite Bennett. Artwork and cover art (left) are by Megan Hetrick and colours by Marissa Louise, with art by Soo Lee. Letters are by Morgan Martinez.

DC/RWBY #3 was released on April 25th and is available in print and on digital where all good comic books are sold.

Synopsis

Forced to retreat from Arkham Asylum and Gotham City after they’ve been overrun by Grimm, Team RWBY finds refuge with Wonder Woman and the Amazons on Themyscira. But as the world continues to change with the girls’ presence here on Earth, who brought Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang here in the first place?

Review

This limited series has been an utter surprise. The world of RWBY and the DC Universe are such binary opposites that they shouldn’t merge in the slightest. Yet their convergence somehow makes sense. We’re finally seeing how Earth is changing and the results are both hilarious and daunting. DC heroes are blessed with Semblances, while the villains are being empowered by the presence of the Grimm through their negative emotions. This series continues to prove just how well these two worlds go together, with each universe feeding and building the other. Each issue is full of new developments and exciting surprises, but this third issue takes the cake.

The best thing about this series has been the weird and wonderful clashing of characters. The interactions between RWBY, Batman, Catwoman and Nightwing have been brilliant in the previous issues. It was ripe with flirtatious banter that very much suited Nightwing and Catwoman. However, it’s time for something new. This issue takes a different approach with the arrival of Wonder Woman and, in a way, gives the team some time away from the Grimm and the impending calamity.

This issue really focuses on providing some well-needed context. While it doesn’t answer all of the important questions, this issue does start to explore the whys and hows. How did RWBY get here? Why are they here? And that’s when things take a dramatic and unexpected turn. We’re basically given a history lesson that dives into the origin of fairy tales and folk lore and it becomes clear that this is not the first time Remnant has clashed with Earth.

The revelations that this issue brings forward are absolutely wild and they’re presented in a really interesting way. Now, this issue isn’t completely void of the superhero action we love, but a majority of it is spent on exploration and explanation. But it is by no means boring or slow. The way in which this lore is fed to us is just as aesthetically pleasing as the action because not only is there substance to it, there is also a playfullness to it. The clues and answers aren’t just stated for us, they’re painted. Some of the panels look absolutely fantastic and this issue revels in the opportunity to show off and give us something that we haven’t seen in the previous issues.

Issue #3 is absolutely fantastic. It plays around with different modes of storytelling, provides our heroes with some answers that completely change the trajectory of this series, and even gives Team RWBY the chance to hang out with Wonder Woman. Although, it turns out that perhaps that wasn’t the best idea. Issue #4 needs to hurry up.

Verdict

Issue #3 of DC/RWBY is lore-heavy in the best way possible, it finally begins to connect the dots. Important questions are asked, histories are untangled, and the connection between the DC Universe and Remnant is brought to the foregound. This issue opens up the world even more with the introduction of Wonder Woman, Constantine and Zatanna which result in some brilliant light-hearted and fun interactions between RWBY. Issue #3 felt like a bit of well-needed respite for Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Yang… Until that final page.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐